Plant species richness responses to management practices in chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forests and coppice stands in the Cévennes mountains (southern France)

2000 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-154
Author(s):  
Hélène Gondard ◽  
James Aronson ◽  
Michel Grandjanny ◽  
Édouard Le Floc'h ◽  
Alain Renaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Southern France ◽  
Castanea Sativa Mill

Effect of management and spatial characteristics on plant species richness of Castanea sativa Mill. woodlots in the NW Iberian Peninsula

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Guitián ◽  
Pablo Guitián ◽  
Ainhoa Magrach ◽  
Carmen Docampo ◽  
Paula Domínguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Characteristics ◽  
Castanea Sativa Mill

scholarly journals Flowers increase ecosystem biodiversity in Midwestern prairies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Michael Goodman ◽  
Diane M Debinski ◽  
Nicholas J Lyon
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
South Central ◽  
Flowering Plant Species

Loss of biodiversity due to anthropogenic factors, such as climate change and habitat conversion or loss, is among the largest problems affecting many native ecosystems today. Declines in plant diversity can often have detrimental effects on other forms of biodiversity through cascading trophic systems and negatively impact large-scale ecosystem processes. This is particularly relevant in grassland ecosystems, where in undisturbed systems grasses, forbs, and legumes coexist in diverse communities. Previous studies have explored the hypothesis that loss of plant species negatively impacts biodiversity of other trophic groups and can diminish whole ecosystem functions. In this study we tested how flowering plant species richness influenced arthropod order richness on eight sites in the Grand River Grasslands of south central Iowa, and whether that relationship depended on the vegetation height at which arthropods were sampled. We hypothesized that (1) flowering plant species richness would positively affect arthropod order richness, and that (2) a greater number of arthropod orders would be found 2 centimeters above the ground (hereafter “low”) than 1 meter above the ground (hereafter “high”) at given equal flowering plant species richness. With greater richness of flowering plant species, it is likely that this variety of vegetation supplies a greater amount of habitat available for arthropod communities. Counter to our expectations, flowering plant species richness was not significantly correlated with total arthropod order richness (p = 0.0785). However, richness of “low” arthropod order did increase with an increase in nectar richness (p = 0.0463). Further research including all plant species (rather than merely nectar producing species) and identifying arthropods to a finer taxonomic level may provide more conclusive results supporting our hypotheses. Results of such studies would contribute to the success of biodiversity conservation efforts that focus on bottom-up management practices that can enhance ecosystem functioning at higher trophic levels.

scholarly journals Family graveyards form underappreciated local plant diversity hotspots in China's agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Gong ◽  
Liangtao Li ◽  
Jan C. Axmarcher ◽  
Zhenrong Yu ◽  
Yunhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Features ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Ecological Functioning

AbstractIn the intensively farmed, homogenous agricultural landscape of the North China Plain, family graveyards form distinct cultural landscape features. In addition to their cultural value, these graveyards represent semi-natural habitat islands whose potential roles in biodiversity conservation and ecological functioning has remained poorly understood. In this study, we investigated plant species richness on 199 family graveyards of different ages and sizes. In accordance with biogeography theory, both overall and insect-pollinated plant species richness increased with area and age of graveyards. Even small graveyards show a strong potential for conserving local plant richness, and a mosaic of both large and small family graveyards could play an important role in the conservation of farmland biodiversity and related ecosystem functions. The launch of agri-environmental measures that conserve and create semi-natural habitats, in turn benefitting agricultural biodiversity and ecological functioning, has proven difficult in China due to the shortage of dispensable arable land. Given the great value of family graveyards as semi-natural habitats reflected in our study, we propose to focus preliminary efforts on conserving these landscape features as existing, widespread and culturally important semi-natural habitat islands. This would represent an effective, complementary policy to a subsequent re-establishment of other semi-natural habitats for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological functioning in agricultural landscapes.

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